Hard To Get
by Higuchimon
Summary: Otogi has set his sights on Jounouchi, but the blond isn't noticing. Is he really that oblivious or is he just playing hard to get?


**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters presented here and am not making any profit off of this whatsoever.  
**Title:** Hard To Get  
**Word Count:** 3,586  
**Rated:** PG-13  
**Romance:** Otogi Ryuuji x Jounouchi Katsuya  
**Notes:** This takes place a few years after the Ceremonial Duel. Comments and criticism gratefully accepted.  
**LJ Challenge:** This was written for the 12_stories challenge.  
**Summary:** Otogi has set his sights on Jounouchi, but the blond isn't noticing. Is he really that oblivious or is he just playing hard to get?

* * *

Color was important to Otogi Ryuuji. Not just because he probably knew more about makeup and clothes than any four girls he could've named offhand, but because he was a game designer. He liked his works to be _artistic_. That was why he'd put so much effort into making the different dice for Dungeon Dice Monsters different colors. Colors caught the eye and stuck in the mind. They were _important_.

Which was why his attention and his eye were caught by someone else's colors, and why his mind kept playing with images of them over and over in his mind.

Traditionally there were very few Japanese people who had golden hair and honey-amber eyes. Sometimes Otogi thought that Jounouchi Katsuya couldn't possibly be human, not with _that_ ancestry and _that_ coloration. Just what he might be, the dice master was uncertain of. But regardless, his attention had been caught, and that was it.

Getting Otogi's attention wasn't really that difficult. He _wanted_ people to notice him. He went out of his way for it, frequently. That was why he'd developed his special look and why he did everything he could to be certain people remembered him when he walked down the street.

And getting someone else's attention was normally pretty easy as well. After all, he was _Otogi Ryuuji_. He was almost as good a gamer as Yuugi or Bakura Ryou, and while he wasn't as quite as rich as Kaiba Seto, he wasn't ever going to have a money problem in his life.

So, he shouldn't have had any troubles having Jounouchi exactly where he wanted him for however long that might've been. He _shouldn't_ have. But he did.

_What am I doing wrong?_ That was a question that Otogi hadn't often asked himself, nor did he actually have to. In the course of his nineteen years, he'd dated four guys and three girls and they'd all fallen for his charm and his good looks and everything else that he had going for him without him having to exert himself in any way.

Was it Jounouchi that was the problem? The fact that his wandering fancy had lighted upon this golden-haired creature who could not be described as anything _but_ earthy and vibrant and enticing and not paying the slightest bit of attention to the fact Otogi was all but waving _I want you_ signs could be at the root of this entire frustrating situation.

That had to be it. It wasn't _Otogi's_ fault at all. It was all Jounouchi's, for being too thick to notice all the signals that he was sending his way. Normally he had only to wiggle a finger to get someone to fall at his feet and swear that they would do anything that he wanted if only he'd _notice_ them. He was used to it. More than used to it, it was what he expected these days.

And Jounouchi wasn't playing the game right. He hadn't noticed Otogi's advances at all.

Which just meant, so far as Otogi was concerned, that he was going to have to do something different. He had never been able to _not_ have something or someone that he wanted. Every one of his previous encounters, he'd either ended it on his own terms when he'd found someone who interested him more or the other person had wanted more than he wanted to give. But always, as long as he'd wanted them, he'd _had_ them.

So, what did he have to do in order to force the light of understanding through Jounouchi's admittedly pretty blond head? Really, he'd never subscribed to the theory that blonds were all that dumb, but given this situation, Jounouchi was beginning to make him rethink his opinion. Not much else made sense. He _knew_ Jounouchi had to be at least bisexual. The way he looked at Yuugi once in a while was something of a clue. And he'd caught him also checking out guys and girls, though Jounouchi never admitted to the guys.

Otogi saw no reason to limit his attentions to one gender. Why take away half of his options for being admired and adored, after all? He didn't bother to tell people about it unless they asked, though. It wasn't anyone else's business what he did with his romantic life.

Though when some people _did_ ask, he answered them very, very thoroughly. No one had ever asked twice.

And now that brought him right back to the center of the problem: how to get Jounouchi to not only realize that he, Otogi Ryuuji, was going to favor him with his attentions, but that this was something to be _celebrated_, not hidden away.

The direct approach was his first thought. It was his favorite method after all, and it had worked with at least three of his past lovers. There was also something very appealing about the thought of pinning Jounouchi to a convenient wall and attempting to suck his brains out through…well, just to suck his brains out.

Otogi considered that one carefully. It really did have a lot of appeal to it, and it would also be a great deal of fun. Of course there was a measure of concern that Jounouchi would flip out and try to push him away and deny everything, but at least he would actually _know_ what Otogi had been trying to tell him for a full week now.

A week. He still couldn't believe it. Virtually everyone else he'd had a minor interest, much less a major one, had picked up on it in less than three days. He'd already told his last girlfriend that they were through and she was going to have to find someone new to entertain herself with. It had been a relatively good breakup as those things went. She'd already had her eye on someone else anyway, and he'd known it before she had. He was good at picking up the signs like that.

Something like this had to be done carefully, however, so that his prey…target…object of his affections…so that Jounouchi didn't get away before he got the liplock on him. Which meant it would have to be in a very particular type of location, preferably where he could lock the door if he wanted to.

That gave him several options. He had his own apartment, and had ever since he was eighteen. As much as he loved his father, it had been for the best. Not that they didn't still keep in touch, but that was going off the track.

Then there was also the possibility of Jounouchi's own place. _He_ still lived with his old man, and Otogi's fastidious lip curled at the very thought of a makeout session with _him_ around. Sure, he knew that Jounouchi loved him, but he still would prefer his own clean and much better furnished apartment for something like that. Some of his best outfits were dry clean only, after all, and getting tossed to the side in the Jounouchi apartment could ruin them permanently.

All things considered, Otogi decided that getting Jounouchi into _his_ apartment was the best way to go about this. He could lock the door without even having to get up, thanks to the state of the art security system he'd installed, and it was already provided with everything they would need for anything they wanted to do, from Duel Monsters to hot and heated sex. Otogi wasn't a Boy Scout, but he certainly believed in their motto.

Which left only one more item to be checked off of his mental list: just how to get Jounouchi here. Technically there would have been one more, but he could figure out how to deal with Jounouchi's reaction once he knew what that reaction was actually going to be. He planned for flexibility the best that he could, and Otogi Ryuuji was nothing if not flexible.

The idea of asking him just to come over was entertained briefly, and discarded even more quickly. Otogi wanted to at least give _some_ hint as to what was going on so Jounouchi could make up his mind with a bit of information. Even if he didn't recognize it for what it was, Otogi would feel perfectly justified in pointing it to him, before ravishing his mouth as much as he possibly could.

_Down, hormones._ Otogi told himself, but didn't really expect himself to listen. He was Otogi Ryuuji after all. His hormones didn't really go down on command. But he was able to get most of them under control as he picked up his cell phone and dialed Jounouchi's number.

"Hello?" Ah, that voice. Otogi looked forward to having the beautiful blond make other noises at his direction. He licked his lips a bit before answering.

"Hey, Jounouchi. It's Otogi." He imagined the look in those soft brown eyes and the curious quirk to those pale red lips. He had watched Jounouchi more than enough to know exactly what he looked like under virtually any circumstances.

"Oh." Now Jounouchi would look a little more curious, and possibly a trifle impatient, depending on just what he'd been doing. Jounouchi was working his way through college, and he didn't have all the time he might have needed to just talk to people. He was also holding down two jobs to pay for everything, and his dad _still_ took a good chunk of what he made for rent and to keep the bills paid and his bookie's thugs off of his back. "Could you call back later? I've got an essay for my health class to write."

Otogi was not going to take no for an answer. Not today, when he'd finally made all of his plans. Though the class for the essay did amuse him, given what he was trying to do. "You could probably use a break. I've got a foolproof way to relax you." There, that was both subtle and blatant, in his opinion. What could possibly be more relaxing than a hot, steamy makeout session, if not full out sex? He always slept better after a good round between the sheets, and he was sure that Jounouchi would feel the same way.

He was not at all surprised at the hint of longing in Jounouchi's voice when he replied. "You do?" He'd known that would have an effect on him.

"That's what I said. I'll come get you. Or do you want to come yourself?" Otogi smirked at the word choice. He knew that Jounouchi wasn't innocent of certain words at all, but he probably wouldn't be thinking about them in _quite_ the same way that Otogi himself was. That made it all the more amusing to use them like that.

"I'll be over in a little while." Jounouchi replied after a moment or two. Otogi was quite positive he had that intriguing line between his eyebrows as he thought it over. "I really could use a break."

"And just think of how much you'll get done after this." Otogi teased lightly. He could all but hear Jounouchi rolling his eyes.

"I'd better. Or I'm going to blame my failing grade on you." He didn't give Otogi a chance to reply, hanging up at once. The game designer chuckled as he closed his cell phone. Before tonight was over, he was going to have quite a bit to be blamed for, and while some of it might be a failing grade, he didn't think Jounouchi would really mind all that much. Or if he did, he could change his mind on that without a great deal of effort. He _did_ have a lot of practice, after all.

Everything was perfectly in place by the time Jounouchi made his way up to the apartment and knocked on the door. Otogi sipped at a cup of tea he'd made for himself, with another already waiting for his company. "Come in, Jounouchi. The door's open."

He smiled a little as the other obeyed, coming in and closing the door behind himself. "Hey." Jounouchi waved some at him. "You know, I still can't believe you've got this place all to yourself?"

"I might be tempted to share some day," Otogi said with a sly grin. That was something than he'd offered virtually any of his other interests. Some of them had stayed for extended periods of time, but he'd never really considered any of them for a permanent roommate status. He wasn't thinking of that for Jounouchi either. At least not yet. He hadn't entirely ruled it out.

Jounouchi, however, missed that entirely as he came and sat down. Otogi was at least pleased to see that he'd obviously showered and changed before coming over. Some of the clothes the blond wore just would _not_ have looked good being thrown over his custom made couches or chairs, much less tossed casually to the floor. At least nothing he had on now would clash.

"Have some tea," Otogi offered, picking up the cup he'd prepared and offering it over. "I think you'll like it."

Jounouchi accepted the cup and sipped at it a little curiously. He obviously wasn't a big tea drinker from what Otogi had noticed. He was inclined more towards coffee if anything. "What is it?"

"Passionflower tea." Otogi said as he took another drink. "It's known for its relaxation properties. Among others." It was the same thing that he was drinking, of course. And some of the other effects of the tea were very interesting. Not that he'd ever thought he needed the help, but getting Jounouchi relaxed was the biggest hurdle to overcome.

The blond drank some more, and as he did, Otogi's attention wandered briefly over him, struck all over again by the exotic coloring. He could easily see why there were girls who were attracted to the blond duelist. Not only was he good looking and strong, he was talented and had a wealth of 'when I was a punk' stories. Otogi liked the sound of Jounouchi's voice no matter what, and looked forward to hearing a few of those. _It would've been interesting if I'd had him be my slave back then._

Of course, if he had, they probably wouldn't be sitting here like this right now. It was just as well in the long run.

Jounouchi took another sip of it and looked at him as he lowered the cup. There was a hint of annoyance in the look as well, but Otogi didn't bat an eye over that. "What else?" His tone was slightly annoyed, and Otogi let himself smirk just a little.

"There _are_ some herbal practitioners who suggest that it be used if a couple is having certain problems related to tension or stress. But I've never needed it for that. So I just drink it to relax." All of that was entirely true, too. He sipped some more from his own cup, enjoying that heated look that Jounouchi was favoring him with. It was really quite interesting to have that gaze on him so hotly. Maybe _now_ something would start to sink into him about everything Otogi had been doing in the last week.

Just to be certain, he also reached forward and flicked the top off of a box of expensive chocolates he'd bought. The box was the mirror to one he'd had delivered to Jounouchi four days earlier. They were some of the most expensive candies in the world. Jounouchi had, as far as he'd noticed, barely even been aware of anything beyond the fact it was candy.

"That looks like…" Jounouchi blinked a few times, then looked back at him. "Okay, this is going to sound weird, but are you trying to tell me something?"

And the light dawned. Otogi was glad it had before he'd had to turn on the CD player with a few carefully chosen selections of tasteful love songs. _And he probably would have ignored those and complained because I didn't have anything **he** liked on it._ Jounouchi could handle watching adult movies of any kind. They'd all enjoyed more than one evening doing so, when Anzu wasn't around. But when it came down to actually having a romantic life of his own, he tended to miss the boat.

"I was starting to wonder if I needed to pull out semaphore flags or try smoke signals." Otogi grinned but didn't move closer just yet. He wanted to, but he also wanted to see what else Jounouchi had to say. However, he did finish off the rest of his tea first.

Jounouchi didn't look all that thrilled as he put his cup down. "So this was just to get me over here so you could…" His honey-colored eyes appeared to be a little darker with anger, and a dark flush spread all over his face as whatever he was thinking boiled through his mind.

Otogi mentally sighed. He should've known that it wasn't going to be _that_ easy. "No, I really want to help you relax. I just _also_ wanted you to know that I've been _trying_ to get this through to you for the last week. What did you think everything I've been doing was for?"

"I thought you were just being…you." Jounouchi shrugged, and as far as Otogi could tell he wasn't quite as much of an angry shade of red as he had been. "You do that to everyone."

"I don't get _those_ chocolates for everyone." Otogi all but snapped, his own blood pressure rising at how _dense_ Jounouchi was. "I don't ask just anyone to come up _here_. And I don't do this to just _anyone_!"

Not giving Jounouchi a chance to move away, he literally pounced on him, pinning his arms to the couch and kissing him as passionately as he possibly could. Given Otogi's experience and general nature, that was very, very passionately indeed. The kiss involved not just lips but tongue, as Otogi carefully managed to pry Jounouchi's lips open and slide his tongue past them. His own internal temperature, always just a bit below smoldering for many reasons, was now rising more and more quickly.

Otogi was very satisfied to feel Jounouchi start to kiss back, though it wasn't quite as enthusiastic as he might've wanted. He pulled back just a little, a teasing gleam to his green eyes, and licked his lips, wanting to taste him again, and soon. "Well?"

"I'm supposed to be doing my homework," was Jounouchi's not very romantic reply. Otogi's eyes narrowed a bit at that.

"You've got _me_ on top of you, kissing you, and unless it scares you senseless, ready to do a lot more, and you want to _do your homework_?" He'd never imagined Jounouchi to be that dedicated to his studies. That was something that Anzu would be like. Or Kaiba. If he could've imagined Kaiba actually being with someone on a couch like this in the first place to be asked that same question, of course.

Jounouchi didn't look as if he had an answer to that, so Otogi gave him one of his own. "You're crazy."

"I'm not going to flunk out." Jounouchi was saying what he was, but Otogi noticed very quickly that he wasn't actually making a move to get out from under him. So that told him that whatever he thought he wanted, he just might possibly want the same thing Otogi did.

"Tell you what." Otogi was good at making deals. Being a businessman, it was part of the job. "Take the rest of tonight off. Let me show you what I've got in mind. And tomorrow, I'll help you with your homework." He could understand why Jounouchi wanted to get through college. It was probably his only hope of getting a better job than what he had now, and finding a better life for himself, and maybe even his dad, some day.

Of course, Otogi was always of the opinion that you couldn't make anything of yourself if you didn't also take time to sample the finer things of life. Since he considered himself one of the finest things of life that was, it behooved him as Jounouchi's friend, and more, to instruct him in just how to sample…and be sampled by.

He could see Jounouchi thinking about it, and decided to give him another taste, just to help him make the decision. He leaned forward and nipped lightly at Jounouchi's lips, then moved down to his chin, and then to his neck, licking a little before he began to suck there teasingly. He only stayed there a few moments, not enough to do any real damage, before he looked back up into Jounouchi's flushed face…flushed for an entirely different reason than anger this time.

"Do we have a deal?" he purred softly, one finger starting to slide under Jounouchi's shirt even as he did. The blond had only time to nod quickly, his eyes glazing over, and Otogi smiled a smile reminiscent of a cat who had all of the cream. He lifted his free hand to run through Jounouchi's golden locks, and leaned his head in to start paying attention once more to Jounouchi's neck. The skin was paler than he'd thought; Jounouchi had been staying indoors more than he was used to, it seemed. At least now he'd have something far more interesting than his books to stare at. Otogi would see to it personally.

After all, practical experience was _so_ much more useful than a book.

**The End**


End file.
